The Irish standard., 1887-01-29
DANGERS OF A CITY.
Women in Rags Who Lead Men to
Almost Certain Death.

Women in Rags Who Lead Men to
Almost Certain Death.
Why SO Many Persons Are Reported Miss.
ing IN New York City and Why Bod
les Are Found in the Rivera
Life Saved by q Cane.
Il. Y. Mail and Express.1
ssWhat becomes of the people who are re
ported as missing2" an old detective was
asked by q reporter at police headquarters.
s'Well, that is a hard question to answer:
Some leave the country to escape their
families and others are killed in dives
about the CITY,"
"Do many return after several years1"
eyes, have known cases where people
have been missing for twenty years, where
their wives have married again, and they
have returned to surprise much more than
delight those who at first mourned their
loss. How some people disappear was ex-
planned to me several years ago
in case which never became pub
lie. A young man, who was studying
for the clergy, was standing one night
in front of Wallack's Theater, waiting
begin, when young girl, shivering in a
thin dress and a shawl, which scarcely COW
cred her shoulders, touched him on the
arm and begged him for Gods sake to give
her some money, as her mother was starv
ing, and she had no means by which to OBJ
tain food for her. The gentleman told the
girl that it was against a rule he had made
ever to give money to people on the street.
The girl looked at him with a pitiful ex-
preston and begged him, if he did not be-
ieve her story, to come to the house where
she lived, which was not far away, and see
for himself if the story she had told him of
the starvation and want of her family was
not true Touched by the girls pathetic
look, the young man decided to follow her.
She took him around the corner OF Thir-
teenth street, nearly to Avenue A, to
house with no blinds in the windows, with
shutters tumbling from their fastenings,
and with battered front door. She took
him up one flight Of stairs to room which
was utterly bare of furniture, except one
broken-down bed, which stood in corner.
On a mantle piece sputtered tallow can
the deep darkness of the corners.
'sShe told him she would go into the next
room and tell her mother that q kind
stranger had come to see her. While she
was going she asked him to sit on the bed,
which was the only seat she had to offer.
The young man, Mortified at such poverty,
and never thinking of any evil results to
himself, seated himself on the edge of the
bed Scarcely had he done so when two
arms reached out from under it and seized
him by the legs. With all his force he
could not keep himself from being dragged
under. He threw himself back and at
tempted to grasp the edge of the bed, but
in the position in which he was he could do
nothing. Slowly but surely he felt himself
dragged downwards by the powerful arms.
As his hand slipped from one hold in the
bed to the other they happened to touch
the heavy walking stick which he carried.
AS q last resort he seized the cane and
with all his strength thrust it under the
bed. The heavy iron ferrule with which
the end of the cane was loaded came in con.
tact with something soft. Ahorrible curse
the young man again and again thrust the
cane into the darkness under the bed.
Slowly the vise-ike grip of the hands
which held his legs relaxed. He made one
final and desperate effort and found him.
self free. He rushed down stairs and from
the house. When he reached the corner
he thought that, disheveled and hatless as
he was, it was impossible for him to go
home. Seeing a policeman on the next
block he went to him and told him
Of the experience he had had. The officer
laughed at him and insinuated that he
had better 60 home and take nothing more
to drink But when he found the young
man was really in earnest he called for
help and at once returned to the house
which the young man pointed out as the
one in which he had been assaulted. When
they knocked at the door it was opened by
man who had every appearance OF just
having been awakened from sound sleep.
The young man insisted on going upstairs,
and, followed by the police, he rushed up and
into the room which he had lately left In it
there was nothing that he could recognize
or identify. A carpet covered the floor,
pictures were hanging on the walls, piano
STOOD in one corner, and every thing looked
as if it had been recently occupied by
woman of refined tastes. The young man
was astounded by the change and tried to
explain that he must have got into the
wrong house. The police returned to their
original theory that the young man had
been drinking and again advised him to go
home.
"There is no question in my mind that it
the young man had not been successful in
breaking away rom the grip Of the man
who held him from under the bed another
unknown body with nothing to identify it
would have been found floating in the river
and would have been buried in p0tter's
field, unknown and uncared for, while an
other one of those mysterious disappear
ances which so often thrill the New York
public would have had its nine days. run Of
wonder and then have been forgotten"
s.Dld you ever hear any thing more OF
this case2'
eyes. Only few days ago the same
young man who had told me OF his ex-
perience of four years ago met me, and
asked him if he had ever, while wandering
through the streets of New York, seen
anybody whom he could recognize as the
poorly-clad girl who had led him into the
house. Once, he said. only few weeks
ago, while walking up Broadway, he had
seen girl beautifully dressed, and with
every appearance of wealth about her, but
with the same unmistakable pathetic look
in her eyes. He started when he saw her,
and he thought that an imperceptible
-